It’s a Wrap for the 2022 Jane Morris Mentorship Program
The evening of December 2, mentors, mentees and mentee supervisors gathered to celebrate the participants of the 2022 Jane Morris Mentorship Program. The program was led this year by career and leadership coach Maisha Christian and focused on three aspects of professional development: networking, self-advocacy and career leadership. WTS Metro Phoenix President April Trevett and Vice President Quinn Quihui Castro were also present to express appreciation for the mentors who volunteered their time and mentees who took this opportunity to invest in themselves and their network.
As a final project, mentees submitted a mock award nomination submission or presented an idea or innovation to the group. Adrian Johnson, a Workforce Development Specialist for Kuniklo, gave the cohort’s final presentation, sharing her own experience becoming interested in a field where she did not see people like herself represented. She underscored the importance of mentorship for young women and particularly young women of color, for whom lack of representation can be a barrier to even considering a rewarding career in fields like Architecture, Engineering or Construction.
The evening concluded with a paint party, because despite stuffy notions to the contrary, creativity and fun are central to career development. AECOM Traffic Engineer Kate Bondy (and supervisor to mentee Amanda Minutello) poked fun at her own resistance to artistic flow. When the person to her right commented on how much fun she was having, she observed, “You must not be an engineer!” But judging by the laughter, Kate enjoyed the activity nonetheless, demonstrating however established you may be in your career, it is always worthwhile to spend a little time outside of your comfort zone.
Congratulations to this year’s graduating cohort of mentees, including Jacobs Traffic Engineer Jordan Rae Aguirre, Jeanne Barconey, Town of Gilbert Senior Planner Stephanie Bubenheim, Aztec Engineering Group Senior Office Administrator Alejandra Estevez, Burgess & Niple Transportation Engineer Rachel Feeck, Kuniklo Workforce Development Specialist Adrian Johnson, Kiewit Business Intelligence Analyst Celeste Karlsrud, AECOM Traffic Engineer Amanda Minutello WSP Traffic Engineer Sarah Schmid, and Kimley-Horn Civil Engineering Analyst Julia Spinolo! The future of women in Transportation is bright!
For those interested in participating either as mentor or mentee for next year’s cohort, (also to be led by the dynamic Maisha Christian of Beauty and the Boss, LLC!), keep an eye out for details early in 2023.